Copper Headed Rail
Pioneered by IEP founder P. Mitra – The original Copperhead Conductor Rail
The Copperhead Conductor Rail was DEVELOPED in India by P. MITRA, the founder of IEP, and we at IEP developed many railway systems. The "T" or "Hollow T" section and the extruded copperhead is drawn through a special die which compresses the copper flanges around the dovetail head of the rail, connecting the two components to a 100% rigid unit.
These conductors have proven an outstanding success for safe power feeding of: Travelling cranes, Loading bridges, Container handling equipment, Monorails, Hoists, Coking machinery and many other applications. The Copperhead Conductor Rails are available in sizes to meet individual current requirements from 200 to 4000 Amps. This system is installed in SAIL R.S.P., SAIL BSP, Bhushan, etc.
The main users are: Steel mills, Coking plants, Gas works, Cement industries, Ship yard and Dockside enterprise, Transit and People Mover Systems.
SOME ADVANTAGES OF IEP RAIL SYSTEMS
With IEP Systems you can eliminate all drawbacks inherent in the conventional design of trolley wires, steel angles and steel rails.
- Copperhead Rails ensure an efficient and continuous contact.
- There is no sparking.
- The easy maintenance is a proven low factor.
- No losses due to interruption of service, no downtime.
- Negligible wear - almost unlimited life of conductors.
- Much lower resistance between copperhead and carbon pick-up shoe.
Ampere Capacity & Load Calculation
Adequate Ampere Capacity must be provided to carry the anticipated electrical loads.
Total Ampere load is determined from the nominal rated full load current reduced by the duty cycle (/ED) and a diversity factor for non-simultaneous operation. The average crane motor duty cycle is usually between 40% and 60%, depending on the type of application. A diversity factor of 0.4 to 0.7 can be used when there are more than one crane on the same runway.
Example:
3 cranes, each In = 300 Amps.
Length of runway: 100m (330')
Assumed duty cycle: 60% (ED)
Assumed diversity factor: 0.7
Ampere load per crane: In x fED = 300A x 0.78 = 234 A
Ampere load for 3 cranes = 234A x 3 = 702 A
TOTAL Ampere load when using a diversity factor of 0.7: 702A x 0.7 = 491.4 A
Selected conductors: F35/100 or F45/50
Formula for Voltage Drop Calculation
AC: √3 x I x L x z
DC: 2 x I x L x R
u = Voltage drop [V]
R = Resistance [ohm/m]
I = Ampere load [A]
L = Length from Power feed to end of conductor [m]
z = Impedance [ohm/m]
Selection of Conductors
Other Criterion
- Select the conductor cross section to carry the calculated total Ampere load and consider the voltage drop calculation to maintain the limits established by the motor manufacturers. The conductor size and/or number of feed points should be increased in case the drop is exceeding the limitations. For very high Ampere loads, it may be necessary to provide booster cables.
- Specify the correct IEP conductor by considering the type of application and environment, such as heavy or light duty service, corrosion, heat, humidity, internal standards.
Effective Length
- I = L power feed located at the end of the system
- I = L/2 power feed located at the mid-point of the system
- I = L/4 power feed located at both ends of the system
- I = L/6 power feed located at L/6 from each end of the system
Engineering Data
STEEL - COPPERHEAD RAILS
Standard Lengths: 7 m (23')
Main application: Conductor system for hoists and monorails, down-shop and cross travel supply for light cranes
Best applicable collectors: IEP/DVD 1 and IEP/DVD
Standard Lengths: 7 m (23')
Main application: Conductor system for heavy and monorails, down-shop and cross travel supply for medium duty cranes
Best applicable collectors: IEP/GSV 1, IEP/GSV 2, IEP/GSV 4 and IEP/GSV 8
Standard Lengths: 7 m (23')
Main application: Conductor system for heavy and monorails, down-shop and cross travel supply for medium duty cranes
Best applicable collectors: IEP/GSV 1, IEP/GSV 2, IEP/GSV 4 and IEP/GSV 8